Way of the Open Vein (5e Monastic Tradition)
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The Way of the Open Vein subclass is part of the Z's Blood Magic sourcebook, and uses the mechanics and features presented therein.
All Monks train to hone their bodies and spirits into the perfect weapons and armor, dodging blows and inflicting devastating strikes with nothing but their bare hands. However, blood is inevitably spilled on the battlefield, no matter your experience and expertise, and a few disciples of the fist have chosen to rely on this fact, using their own spilled lifeblood as a weapon that makes them more dangerous as their veins empty.
| Monk Level |
Proficiency Bonus |
Hemocraft Die |
Rites | Sacrifice Points |
Sacrifice Limit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacraments Known |
Rites Known | |||||
| 3rd | +2 | (1)d4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 4th | +2 | (1)d4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 5th | +3 | (2)d4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 6th | +3 | (2)d4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 7th | +3 | (2)d4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 8th | +3 | (2)d4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 9th | +4 | (2)d4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 10th | +4 | (2)d4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 11th | +4 | (3)d4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 12th | +4 | (3)d4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 13th | +5 | (3)d6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 14th | +5 | (3)d6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 15th | +5 | (3)d6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 16th | +5 | (3)d6 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 17th | +6 | (4)d6 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 18th | +6 | (4)d6 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 19th | +6 | (4)d6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | (4)d6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
Contents
Sanguine Lore[edit]
When you select this Monastic Tradition at 3rd level, you gain access to a few special rites of Hemocraft magic. Your power comes from harming yourself, a sacrifice you begrudgingly or gleefully make each day in order to unleash your ability. This Hemocraft is represented by a Hemocraft Die, which begins as a d4, and increases in size as you grow stronger and able to endure greater sacrifice, as shown on the Hemocraft Die column of the Open Vein table.
Hemocraft[edit]
At 3rd level, you gain the Hemocraft ability, allowing you to harm yourself to unleash ancient power, as is your birthright. You gain a Hemocraft Die, which you may use to Rend yourself in order to activate your blood magic; This also grants you a handful of Sacrifice Points that you may use to fuel your Hemocraft abilities. Additionally, you gain access to Corpse Magic, allowing you to manipulate the blood of the recently departed as well as your own.
When you reach your 5th character level, when you Major Rend, you may roll your Hemocraft Die twice, totaling the results. This increases to 3 rolls when you reach your 11th character level, and to 4 rolls when you reach your 17th character level.
You may add one-third (Rounded down) of your Monk levels to your total Hemocraft level for the purposes of determining the size of your Hemocraft Die, and the number of Sacrifice Points you possess.
Bloodborne Sacraments[edit]
You learn how to use your blood to perform sacred - Or profane - Rites of hemocraft magic, awakening a primal connection within yourself, binding a magical force to your blood. You can unleash this force sparingly by merely living, but spilling your blood amplifies it further.
When you select this Monastic Tradition at 3rd level, you gain access to a small number of Bloodborne Sacraments, from which you may learn a handful of Sanguine Rites, powerful invocations of blood magic that your can use by consuming your life force. The first Sacrament you learn must be a Basic Sacrament, but once you've learned a Basic Sacrament (Either from levels in a Hemocraft class, or from another source, such as the Hemocraft Initiate feat or the Hexborne Blessing of a Durlaanar), you may learn Advanced Sacraments. The number of Sacraments you may gain access to and the number of Rites you may learn from those Sacraments are both detailed in the Rites section of the Way of the Open Vein table above.
Each time you gain a Monk level, you may replace one Rite you know with another Rite you qualify for from one of your Sacraments.
Hemocraft Ability[edit]
Some blood magic abilities, such as Sanguine Rites, may require you to make an attack roll, or force a target to make a saving throw. Wisdom is the ability you use for your Open Vein Hemocraft. You use your Wisdom whenever an ability refer to your Hemocraft ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Hemocraft ability you use, and when making an attack roll with one.
Hemocraft save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
Hemocraft attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
Armor of Blood[edit]
When you select this Monastic Tradition at 3rd level, whenever you are using your Unarmored Defense feature, you may add your Constitution bonus to your AC in place of your Wisdom bonus if it is higher. Additionally, your unarmored AC increases by +1 whenever you are Bloodied, by +2 whenever you are Wounded, and by +3 whenever you are Critical.
Sanguine Strikes[edit]
When you select this Monastic Tradition at 3rd level, you learn to gather your spilled blood and use it as a weapon. Whenever you are not Uninjured, each time you make an unarmed strike, you can choose for the strike to deal bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage, as your blood covers your hands and forms spikes, blades or hard ridges.
Additionally, whenever you are Bloodied, your reach for your unarmed strikes increases by 5ft, as your blood extends crimson tendrils from your body. Your unarmed strike reach instead increases by 10ft when you are Wounded, and by 15ft whenever you are Critical.
You can also use Sanguine Strikes to hurl blades, spikes or hard orbs of blood at targets, allowing you to make ranged attacks with your unarmed strikes whenever you are not Uninjured. Treat this as a ranged unarmed attack with the Finesse and Light properties, and no Long range.
The range for these ranged attacks is equal to :
- Twice your Corpse Magic range whenever you are Bloodied,
- Four times your Corpse Magic range whenever you are Wounded,
- Six times your Corpse Magic range whenever you are Critical.
For convenience, a table has been provided to quickly determine the range of your Sanguine Strikes ranged attacks based on your Corpse Magic range and current Injury Level.
| Proficiency Bonus |
Injury Level | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodied | Wounded | Critical | |
| +2 | 20 | 40 | 60 |
| +3 | 30 | 60 | 90 |
| +4 | 40 | 80 | 120 |
| +5 | 50 | 100 | 150 |
| +6 | 60 | 120 | 180 |
Blade of Blood[edit]
Beginning at 6th level, whenever you make a successful attack with a weapon, unarmed attack or natural weapon, you can choose to use Blade of Blood; If you do so, you may Major Rend as part of the attack, and deal additional weapon damage to the target. If you have an active Torment, this bonus damage is Rite damage instead.
The amount of damage added is based on the range of the attack:
- If you empower a melee attack with Blade of Blood, the additional damage is equal to the Rend Bonus of that Major Rend, plus one roll of your Hemocraft die; If you are Wounded, this increases to 2 rolls of your Hemocraft die, and to 3 rolls if you are Critical.
- If you empower a ranged attack with Blade of Blood, the additional damage is equal to half the Rend Bonus of that Major Rend, plus one roll of your Hemocraft die; If you are Wounded, this increases to 2 rolls of your Hemocraft die, and to 3 rolls if you are Critical.
Stolen Life[edit]
Beginning at 6th level, whenever you are Wounded, your unarmed strikes deal additional Necrotic damage equal to one roll of your Hemocraft Die, and you regain hit points equal to the Necrotic damage dealt by this feature (And this feature alone).
- At 11th level, whenever you are Critical, this Necrotic damage increases to two rolls of your Hemocraft Die.
Blood Link[edit]
Beginning at 11th level, once per turn when you successfully land an unarmed strike on a target, you can spend a Ki Point to leave a Hemocraft anchor composed of your living blood within the target until the end of your next turn; If you leave an anchor in another target while the first one persists, the first anchor dissolves harmlessly. The next time you Rend yourself while your blood is anchored in a target, the target must make a Wisdom save against your Hemocraft DC. If the target fails their save, you do not lose hit points due to the Rend - Instead, the target suffers Necrotic damage equal to the number of hit points you would've lost to that Rend.
Sardonyx Consumption[edit]
Beginning at 17th level, you've learned to steal the Ki of other creatures. When a creature you can see or hear dies within your Corpse Magic range, you can use your reaction to harvest its essence for yourself; You can also use your action to harvest from a creature that has been dead no more than 1 minute. If a creature dies within your Corpse Magic range while your blood is anchored within it by your Blood Link ability, you automatically Harvest that creature if it is eligible, requiring no action from you.
When you do so, you siphon off some of the creature's life force, in the form of Ki. You gain temporary Ki points equal to the harvested creature's Proficiency Bonus; These temporary Ki Points last until the end of your next turn, and fade if not used before then.
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